From her Oscar-nominated role in 1984's "Swing Shift" to her Golden Globe-winning run in the 1990s on the CBS drama "Chicago Hope," Christine Lahti has always been a force of nature.

But the frank, funny actress wasn't prepared for the career low that arrived around 2010.

"I got into my 60s and, suddenly, this tsunami of sexist ageism hit me," says Lahti, 68, speaking by phone from Santa Monica. "I was despairing. I didn't know what to do. I felt like I was at the top of my game, the peak of my creative prime, and suddenly, now there are no great parts?"

Lahti found a way to fight back in her remarkable new essay collection, "True Stories from an Unreliable Eyewitness," which debuted in April. Subtitled "A Feminist Coming of Age," the book pulls no punches in its remembrances of her childhood in the affluent Detroit suburb of Birmingham, her early acting career, her introduction to motherhood and her current life as a middle-aged actress/activist who continues to speak her mind.

The idea of writing a memoir was sparked originally by her daughter, who was 21 at the time and part of a new generation of empowered feminists............

Check out Medea Benjamin’s latest book Inside Iran: The Real History of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In 1979, the Iranian Revolution brought a Shia theocracy to the 80 million inhabitants of the Middle East’s second largest country. In the decades since, bitter relations have persisted between the U.S. and Iran. Yet how is it that Iran has become the primary target of American antagonism, when Saudi Arabia, a regime that is even more repressive, remains one of America’s closest allies?

In the first general-audience book on the subject, Medea Benjamin elucidates the mystery behind this complex relationship, recounting Iran’s history from the pre-colonial period, through the CIA-engineered coup that overthrew the country’s democratic leadership in 1953, to its emergence as the one nation Democrats and Republicans alike regularly unite in denouncing. Benjamin draws upon her firsthand experiences with Iranian politicians, activists, and everyday citizens to provide a deeper understanding of the complexities of Iranian society and the nation’s role in the region................

“We are in a fight for our lives. Hurricanes Irma and María unmasked the colonialism we face in Puerto Rico, and the inequality it fosters, creating a fierce humanitarian crisis. Now we must find a path forward to equality and sustainability, a path driven by communities, not investors. And this book explains, with careful and unbiased reporting, only the efforts of our community activists can answer the paramount question: What type of society do we want to become and who is Puerto Rico for?” —Carmen Yulín Cruz, Mayor of San Juan

In the rubble of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans and ultrarich “Puertopians” are locked in a pitched struggle over how to remake the island. In this vital and startling investigation, bestselling author and activist Naomi Klein uncovers how the forces of shock politics and disaster capitalism seek to undermine the nation's radical, resilient vision for a “just recovery.”

All royalties from the sale of this book in English and Spanish go directly to JunteGente, a gathering of Puerto Rican organizations resisting disaster capitalism and advancing a fair and healthy recovery for their island. For more information, visit http://juntegente.org/.

Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist, documentary filmmaker and author of the international bestsellers No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, and No Is Not Enough.

Journalist Masha Gessen joined Joy Reid this morning to help us figure out what stage of fascism the United States has achieved. There's a sentence I still cannot believe I had to write in seriousness.

On the scale from Democracy to Fascism:Fascist Ruler? Check.Fascist attitude towards Immigrants? Check.Fascist Rule? Not yet. Not completely.

We still have people who stand up and object. We still have journalists who have platforms. We still have dissent. We still have some - some checks on this fascist ruler and his bootlicking toadies (who have been in power a long time, mind you....)

But hyperbole? Nope.

REID: This is a map that shows the United States was a full democracy in 2015 and dipped into a flawed democracy in 2016 and 2017, when Trump came along. 21st in the ranking along with Italy, which we know has creeping fascism returning. We're seeing Poland return in this direction, Hungary, sort of this new axis of -- I don't know if you want to call it anti-democracy, I don't know what you call it, but it is happening. Madeleine Albright has written a book about fascism. There's a threat of hyperbole whenever we talk about Trump. You don't know if it's politics. Is it too much to call this fascism?

GESSEN: I don't think it's too much. I don't think we have fascist rule in this country, but what we have is a fascist leader. You know, we have nativist, nationalist leader devoting all his energy into portraying a group of people as super dangerous enemy, both sort of subhuman animals, right, infestation, and superhuman at the same time because they're so frightening. Because if we don't protect ourselves, terrible things will happen. We don't know what kind of catastrophe will befall us. That is fascism. Whether we allow fascism to take over this entire country is an open question and none of us knows what's going to happen. But it is by no means hyperbole to call Trump a fascist.

[snip][end]

His lite-ness may be getting lighter ... I think.

_________________-- Tis an ill wind that blows no minds.Malaclypse the Younger

I think this is a better-sourced, better-written, more journalistic & less "gossipy" book than Fire and Fury. It's why I wish more people would read it.

Fire and Fury is great at presenting the disarray and chaos of the Trump administration ... this book gets more at the heart of the corruption.

The incredible, harrowing account of how American democracy was hacked by Moscow as part of a covert operation to influence the U.S. election and help Donald Trump gain the presidency.

Russian Roulette is a story of political skullduggery unprecedented in American history. It weaves together tales of international intrigue, cyber espionage, and superpower rivalry. After U.S.-Russia relations soured, as Vladimir Putin moved to reassert Russian strength on the global stage, Moscow trained its best hackers and trolls on U.S. political targets and exploited WikiLeaks to disseminate information that could affect the 2016 election.

The Russians were wildly successful and the great break-in of 2016 was no "third-rate burglary." It was far more sophisticated and sinister — a brazen act of political espionage designed to interfere with American democracy. At the end of the day, Trump, the candidate who pursued business deals in Russia, won. And millions of Americans were left wondering, what the hell happened? This story of high-tech spying and multiple political feuds is told against the backdrop of Trump's strange relationship with Putin and the curious ties between members of his inner circle — including Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn — and Russia.

Russian Roulette chronicles and explores this bizarre scandal, explains the stakes, and answers one of the biggest questions in American politics: How and why did a foreign government infiltrate the country's political process and gain influence in Washington?

_________________-- Tis an ill wind that blows no minds.Malaclypse the Younger

........QUESTION: How did you decide to write a book about what happened in Flint, and what were your objectives in writing it?

ANSWER: I knew even two years ago that we would need a way to shine a spotlight back on Flint because the stories would fade and the national media would go, and I wanted a mechanism to bring the story back to Flint. That was one reason.

The second is because we’re doing awesome stuff here. We are doing state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind amazing stuff for kids, all based on science. I wanted to share that recovery, that hope with others so they can do the same things for children in their communities.

Another big reason is because I wanted a way to give to the Flint Kids Fund. A portion of the proceeds of my book go to the Flint Kids Fund. It's being promoted at all my events.

(Including an event called "An Evening of Celebration & Fundraising for Flint" 6:30-9:30 p.m. June 27 at Stagecrafter's, 415 S. Lafayette Ave., Royal Oak. The event includes an author talk, book signing, beer and snacks. Cost is $45 and a portion of the proceeds benefits the Flint Kids Fund. To buy tickets or learn more, go to https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/DZxmC ... tbrite.com)

I also wanted to share a story about an Arab American in this political climate where we're talking about travel bans, and show that we shouldn’t be banned from this country. We’re not all terrorists. We’re part of the fabric of this society and we should celebrate our immigrants because they contribute to our communities.

Q: You describe what was happening in Iraq politically when your family fled, and the ways in which corrupt governments or bad actors within governments can change and, in some cases, destroy lives. Can you talk about how your family’s own struggles steeled you for the battle you would one day face in Flint?

A: I thought I would just write a book about Flint. And I think that would have been the easiest thing to do.

But I couldn’t separate my family, my immigrant past with that story because that’s how I see the world. That’s the lens that I was raised in, and the lens of justice that I see. It had to be included. It was a risk. We’re talking about genocide in Iraq, where children and a whole city was poisoned, and then you’re talking about the Flint water crisis.

I’m not comparing, them, but it’s hard not to compare where you have governments, people charged with protecting the health and welfare of the people, fail.

I was raised in the milieu of knowing what injustice was. I was raised in the milieu of knowing how corrupt governments could abuse vulnerable populations.

My family, like I say in the book, we were so lucky. The American dream was realized for my family, absolutely the American dream. But the kids I take care of every day in Flint, they don’t have those same opportunities.

But we need to recognize that we all have to stay vigilant, we have to keep our eyes open, and we have to keep people accountable..........

Journalist Masha Gessen joined Joy Reid this morning to help us figure out what stage of fascism the United States has achieved. There's a sentence I still cannot believe I had to write in seriousness.

On the scale from Democracy to Fascism:Fascist Ruler? Check.Fascist attitude towards Immigrants? Check.Fascist Rule? Not yet. Not completely.

We still have people who stand up and object. We still have journalists who have platforms. We still have dissent. We still have some - some checks on this fascist ruler and his bootlicking toadies (who have been in power a long time, mind you....)

But hyperbole? Nope.

REID: This is a map that shows the United States was a full democracy in 2015 and dipped into a flawed democracy in 2016 and 2017, when Trump came along. 21st in the ranking along with Italy, which we know has creeping fascism returning. We're seeing Poland return in this direction, Hungary, sort of this new axis of -- I don't know if you want to call it anti-democracy, I don't know what you call it, but it is happening. Madeleine Albright has written a book about fascism. There's a threat of hyperbole whenever we talk about Trump. You don't know if it's politics. Is it too much to call this fascism?

GESSEN: I don't think it's too much. I don't think we have fascist rule in this country, but what we have is a fascist leader. You know, we have nativist, nationalist leader devoting all his energy into portraying a group of people as super dangerous enemy, both sort of subhuman animals, right, infestation, and superhuman at the same time because they're so frightening. Because if we don't protect ourselves, terrible things will happen. We don't know what kind of catastrophe will befall us. That is fascism. Whether we allow fascism to take over this entire country is an open question and none of us knows what's going to happen. But it is by no means hyperbole to call Trump a fascist.

[snip][end]

His lite-ness may be getting lighter ... I think.

well he was talking about how the conservatives wealthy and elite are insecure of the poor, and the more unequal it gets the more insecure they are til they are practically begging to partner up with a fascist type leader. it reminded me of this comment in this semi-recent article

........Two months ago, as Engler replaced disgraced former MSU president Lou Anna Simon, I thought he might be a decent choice for MSU, even considering the grumbling from those who didn’t agree with his politics or like him as Michigan’s governor years ago.

Engler is, first and foremost, a bully. But if he’s your bully, that can work. He got things done as governor because Republicans in the state legislature, his own party, feared him.

MSU needed someone to rattle its cage and stick up for it as it tried to move on — and protect it financially. His forceful personality and polarizing legacy, I thought, would make it easier for the next president to lead, as well. I still do.

The problem is you can’t bully sexual assault victims or students of a public university.

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